Table 1.
Characteristics of widely used SMC marker proteins.
| Marker protein | SMC specificity | Phenotype specificity | Subcellular localisation | Onset of expression | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| α-smooth muscle actin Smooth muscle-myosin heavy chain | Embryo -Adult +/-Embryo + Adult + | c>s SM1 c>s SM2 c | Contractile filaments Contractile filaments | E9 heart/ somites/SMCs E10.5 SMCs | Contraction Contraction |
| SM22α | Embryo -Adult + | c>s | Actin-associated | E8 heart/ E9.5 SMCs | Regulation contraction |
| SM-calponin H-caldesmon | Embryo -Adult + Embryo + Adult + | c>s c | Actin-associated/ cytoskeleton Actin-associated | E8.5 heart / E13.5 SMCs WK 10 human | Regulation contraction/ signal transduction Regulation contraction |
| Smoothelin | Embryo -Adult + | c | Actin-associated | E13 | Regulation contraction |
| Telokin | Embryo+/? Adult + | c>s | Cytoplasmic/ membrane | E11.5 gut | Regulation contraction |
| Meta-vinculin | Embryo -Adult - | c>s | Cytoskeleton | WK 24 human | Anchoring cell-ECM |
| Desmin CRBP-1 | Embryo -Adult -Embryo -Adult - | c>s s>c | Cytoskeleton Cytoplasm | E9.5 myotome E10 | Structural mechanical integrity Retinoid transport and metabolism |
| Smemb | Embryo -Adult - | s>c | Contractile filaments | ND | Contraction |
Compiled from Owens et al. and Miano.1,5
c=contractile, s=synthetic, E=mouse embryonic day, WK 24=week 24 of human development, ND=not determined.